Measuring-tape.



R. KASTMANN.

MEASURING TAPE.

APPLICATlONFILED lULYI, ms.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Atty UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD KASTMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE KEUFFEL & ESSERCOMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MEASURING-TAPE.

Application filed July 1, 1915. Serial No. 37,408.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD KAs'r uANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Measuring-Tapes, ofwhich the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to measuring tapes and more particularly to woventapes attached at one end to a post provided with a crank handle wherebythey are reeled upon the post and withdrawn into a suitable casing. Itsnovelty consists in the construction and adaptation of the parts as willbe more fully hereinafter pointed out.

Woven tapes wear out in use. The cases in which they are contained whennot in use do not readily wear out. In fact a well made case usuallyoutwears several tapes,

so that from time to time it is necessary to insert a new tape in thecase. As the device is usually constructed this isnot easy to do, as itrequires the removal of the center post,

- the slipping of the terminal loop of the tape into the case throughthe usual side opening, then placing the post into the loop and finallyfastening the post into the case. This necessitates the exercise of someskill and much patience unless the person happens to be an expert inthis class of work, and the users of such tapes are generally not suchexperts. I

The object of my invention is to provide a tape of this character withmeans whereby it can quickly be secured to or removed from itsconnection with the central post,

and this I accomplish by providing the post with a tongue which whileremovable is relatively permanent so far as the tape proper is concernedand which projects outside of the case far enough to be readilymanipulated in combination with a simple connector whereby it can beeasily and securely at tached to the tape proper.

In the drawings in which there is illustrated a device embodying apreferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of thecase, crank, tongue,,tape loop and connection; Fig. 2 is a top plan viewot the same; Fig. 3 is a view of the tongue; Fig. 4 of the loop attheend of the tape; Fig. 5 of the connector, and Fig. 6 is a detailshowing how the tongue is detachably secured to the post.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

In the drawings, 10 is a tape case of usual form having a central post11 adapted to be rotated in a hearing at the center of the case andwhich post is provided with a hinged crank 12 having the usual handle13. The opening through which the tape passes is protected by the usualguardindicated at 14. The post is provided with a longitudinal slit 15.

The tongue which is preferably made of a piece of the tape materlal(although this is not necessary, as any flexible band of about the samewidth will serve) is formed of a main piece 20, turned back at its rearend to form a loop 21 the end of the turned piece being secured to themain pieceby any suitable means as stitches indicated at 22. At itsopposite end the main piece is turned back to form another loop 23, theend of this turned piece being also secured to the main plece by anysuitable means as stitches indicated at 24.

The connector is an oval shaped ring of wire, or the like, 30 bentinwardly at its two ends, 31 and 32 which do not meet however but allowa space 33 to exist between them. This metal loop is placed within thesmall loop 23 of the tongue. The rear end of the tape 40 is bent backupon itself to form a loop 41, the end of the turned piece being securedto the tape by any suitable means as stitches indicated at 42. Theturned piece is also provided with notches or cut outs 43 on each sideto allow of the ready engagement of the connector with the tape loop.

In use, assuming that the tape is wound up on the reel and it is desiredto change it and substitute another, the tape is unwound until thetongue protrudes from the case, the loop 41 is slipped back until theends 31, 32 of the ring coincide with the notches 43 when it is easy todisengage the tape loop from the tongue. A new tape is inserted byreversing the operation, 6. 6., bring the notches of the tape loop tocoincide with the ring, then inserting the ring by placing first one endand then the other over the tape loop and finally drawing the parts intothe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a tape having a terminal loopwith a cut out edge on one stretch of the loop, a post, a tongue carriedby the post, a connector secured to the tongue and consisting of a ringhaving an opening whereby its ends on either side of the 0 ening mayreadily pass within the loop at its out out portion.

2. The combination with a tape case provided with a central post and atongue carried thereby of a tape and means for detachably securing it tothe tongue including a loop formed on the end of the tape; a loopcarried by the tongue and a connector between them consisting of an openring secured to one loop and adapted to engage the other.

3. The combination with a tape case provided with a centralpost and atongue carried thereby of a tape and means for detachably securing it tothe tongue including a loop formed on the end of the tape, a loop attheend of the tongue, one loop having notched edges and a connectorbetween the loops consisting of an .open ring secured to the unnotchedloop and adapted to engage the notched loop. 4. The combination with atape case provided with a central post and a tongue carried thereby, ofa tape and a loop formed on one end thereof, a connector carried by thetongue, said connector located in the end of said loop for connectingthe tape to the tongue and capable of being moved from said end locationfor separating the tape from the tongue.

InWzestimony whereof I afl'ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD KASTMANN. -Witne$es:

BODEWINE BERTRAND VAN SIGKLE, ALBERT KIMMERLE.

